Mugwort
Mugwort is on my mind for harvesting and drying this year after drinking a tea blend my oldest daughter, Ivy, made. It’s what she calls her Dreamy Evening Tea and it is the most soothing tea I think I’ve ever had. It has some catnip in it but I’ve had catnip tea before and it didn’t have such a strong, lulling action on me so I’ve decided the sedative quality is likely from the Mugwort. I actually used it to calm my reproductive system during my cycle because I’d had a rambunctious menstruation the previous month. It was wonderful for that during the day. I’ve been back-of-the-mind curious about Mugwort’s effects on dreaming but have yet to experience anything significant so far. I expect that will require a stronger dose of pure Mugwort tea. I missed a mindfulness moment last year with the Mugwort Tobias planted on the side of the house. I just noticed the herb while mowing the lawn and painting the house: tall, lanky, wild and unruly, falling all over. It seemed out of place in that small spot, as if it was exclaiming that it deserved more room or perhaps a field. Maybe there’s a place for it to spread out in the orchard as I intend to harvest as much as I can to make my own year-supply of tea. Uva Ursi Tobias planted Uva Ursi right in front of the Mugwort and it was very slow growing on that side of the house or perhaps in the micro ecosystem that is our Steading: a north-facing hillside that holds cool air sandwiched between a small pond and a large lake. We’re going to move it to the back yard where it will get more sun and hopefully pretend to be a landscape shrub. Currently, there’s not enough to harvest for a serious urinary tract infection, for which it works wonders. I’ve only experienced that a few times in my life but it is an all-consuming condition with constant and intense symptoms. I had made some tea of the herb during an experience and found that it decreased the symptoms relatively quickly but I needed a stronger dose to completely take care of it. What a marvelous experience to find a plant that is super effective with such a strong and unnerving condition. Its cleansing ability surpasses any other I’ve met so far and I’m guessing it could be utilized for other ailments that need intense cleansing. I wonder if I will have to wait for it to grow or whether I can intuit the place on the land where it will thrive. Nettles Nettles are another powerful plant ally and medicine that I have to make sure is on my mind come this Spring. I love to harvest Spring Nettles. They are so bright and fun in the spring, not as intimidating as its strong presence and stature in the fall. A good Nettle pesto is a nutritive and nourishing meal inspired by my friend and personal Clothing Specialist, Laura. But, my main focus is on collecting and drying the perfectly healthy leaves for tea of course; filling as many bags of my herb drying rack as I can. I have meant to do a second harvest each year but just haven’t gotten to it. Fall comes quickly and then I am hustling about collecting the stalks for fiber and stripping off leaves which I will probably save when life slows down to a healthy pace and I can rise with the morning sun and spend a long time watching the fog hover over the mountain. This year (and very soon) we plan to release the chickens into the nettle field to eat the grass so it won’t compete with the nettles. They are going to love that too. I’m excited because it feels like a symbiotic relationship and ideally will give me the best Nettle harvest ever. These are just some of the herb thoughts and plans that are running through my mind as Spring is approaching so nicely in Southwest Washington. Ginseng and St. Johns Wort are others that have made an impact but will also need to be given plenty of attention and focus to restart. Blessings with your herbal medicine daydreams, making plans to harvest and dry herbs and may your cabinet be well-stocked this year!
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AuthorMy name is Judy Moore and I am a student of life focused on self-development especially in regard to increasing our abilities and understanding in all realms. Archives
February 2024
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